Bonnie Kennedy is the recipient of what the Horse Council of BC considers its most prestigious award, the 2024 Sherman Olson Lifetime Achievement Award, which is bestowed upon a BC resident who achieved prominence through commitment and hard work that positively impacted BC’s equine community while inspiring others.
“This is such a lovely honour,” Bonnie said.
It’s been a lifelong love for her.
It started when Bonnie lived in Calgary when she was about six years old.
Her Dad was in the oil business but decided raising cattle might be interesting so they lived on a ranch.
“And back in those days we were just turned loose,” Bonnie laughed at the recollection.
They had about a dozen horses back then.
“So my sister and I would chase them in and catch our two and we were free to tear around bareback all morning and then my mum would make us put them away at lunch time so the poor horses got a break,” Bonnie said.
When she was just about a teenager, a friend of the family discovered the first indoor arena in Calgary, St. George’s, and that’s when Bonnie turned to English riding and took lessons.
“We got different horses then and started jumping and became involved in the pony club and all that,” Bonnie said.
“It’s about building that connection with the animal and if you watch their body language they say a lot to us and to each other and the training itself is fascinating and of course it’s changed over time,” Bonnie said.
Bonnie, who is a retired school teacher, has trained and coached more than 150 equestrians over her lifetime and continues to give lessons even now at 78 years old.
“In Canada we’ve introduced more of the European methods and of course there are so many disciplines in the horse world so you can make choices in how you want to go forward. I think working with the horses and riders has been a great joy for me and watching them learn and progress and grow.”
Bonnie is an accredited course designer and in the last 25 years she has been to Quesnel, Terrace, Smithers and all around Prince George to support competitions and prepare their riders.
Bonnie has been instrumental in organizing an equestrian component of the BC Summer Games in Prince George, including helping to organizing a development camp and then helped with all the advance preparations it took to create the proper course, the stadium jumps, coordinated all the supplies and found a venue.
She served on the Prince George Horse Society board for a decade and as part of that volunteer board, Bonnie was instrumental in taking over the lease of the Prince George Agriplex where people can board their horses, host shows and hold clinics right in the heart of Prince George.
Bonnie and her team put together a successful grant to get four show barns built in 2000. Each barn can hold a dozen horses.
Through Bonnie’s support, vision and endless effort the club continues to host two major Horse Council of BC shows in June and September each year.
Bonnie prepares all the dressage tests, hires judges, creates the entire program and prize list.
Because of Bonnie’s support of the rising stars program several local young riders have enjoyed provincial and national success while others have successful careers with horses, including Grand Prix dressage champions, 10 coaches, three accredited officials, two professionals who run their own indoor training arenas and boarding facilities and many lifelong riders and beloved volunteers - some who have continued to volunteer during the last 30 years to help out at the local competitions.
Bonnie works hard to bring great opportunities to local riders, offering events in Prince George before they venture down south for the more intense competitions.
“We must always support the northern community,” Bonnie said.
“If there’s no goal then people have nothing to work toward. You have to offer a little competition, or an opportunity for education like a clinic, so there’s something they can work towards and go to and get an evaluation to help themselves improve and to expand the community. It’s all about education and trying to help people stay connected.”
Everybody’s been through it when a big event is being prepared and it’s so labour intensive and everybody gets tired, Bonnie said.
“But then you see the people who are impacted by it and the big smiles as they come out of the ring and the things they’ve learned as they go and there are sometimes tears but they’ll learn something from it and then the next day will be better,” Bonnie said.
“It’s just all so rewarding, really.”
